before and after :: bali hai night stands

While these nightstands in white don't make for the most exciting reveal, they're still Henry Link originals.  I felt beyond lucky to come across a complete set.

They're painted in my favorite white, BM White Dove.

Before and after...

They're up for sale! (as a set).  

Email me for pricing and dimensions - nattycox@gmail.com.  

Shipping available (est shipping for west coast $140, for east coast $200).

before and after :: campaign dresser

Remember that lot of vintage goodness I picked up awhile ago?
The campaign dresser was first to go.

One of my favorite things about this job is meeting new people.  The woman who purchased this piece has been wanting a campaign style dresser for her boys' room for a long time now.  To save on shipping costs to California, her family stopped by on their drive home from New Mexico (I think).  It was so good to meet her family and see how excited she was with the finished product.  They stopped it to use the restroom and we had a good chat while our husbands loaded up the dresser.

She wanted it a navy blue for her boys' room and I really like Benjamin Moore's Old Navy (same as this bed) - it's not too bright, but not too dull either.
And I love the woodgrain peeping through the paint!  That doesn't happen very often.

The before...

And the after…

I finished it up over Christmas break with all the kiddos home, so there wasn't much time for photo gussying.  It was a "hurry! gotta take pictures before they get here" kind of thing.  

There are a couple more pieces available for purchase and customization...

Before and After :: Purplish Jenny Lind Bed

The cutie vintage Jenny Lind spool bed is finished!  Picking the color was the hardest part.  I wanted to use a color I haven't before, but found that purple is a really hard color to work with.  So many shades and tints and undertones!

Plus, the rich color of the unfinished wood was so beautiful I contemplated not painting it at all.  Buuut, that's not what a do - it had to be painted.

The deeper tones in the light, pinkish purple flowers from this post were my inspiration for the shade.

And it's available!  Email me for pricing: nattycox@gmail.com.

before and after :: antique green dresser

This dresser is the second milk paint piece from last week.  Don't you LOVE the color?! 

Yeah, me too.  

It's Lexington Green by the Old Fashioned Milk Paint company.  I added the bonding agent this time too for the same reason I listed here.

The glaze I used is the wiping stain from this tutorial.

As a general rule, I remove all back plates and scrap any mirrors that come with dressers.  They tend to date the furniture in a way I'm not looking for.  Taking them off is like an instant facelift for dressers.
(Yes, this means my garage is full of random mirrors.  Want one?)

This one's also for sale!  Email me for pricing and shipping nattycox@gmail.com.

before and after :: blue antique chest

I am the absolute worst at accidentally publishing posts before they're complete.  So some of you might be lucky enough to see these images for the second time.  :)

I mentioned last week that I tried Milk Paint for the first time and loved it.  It was so fun to do something different that the norm for me.  I rarely use a brush and I have to say, painting with a brush makes me feel like I'm creating a piece of art.  Spraying is different - it takes a lot of practice to spray a finish correctly, but it doesn't feel as creative.  So this piece was quite a treat for me.

(Aaaand - it's available for purchase.  Email me for pricing and a shipping quote nattycox@gmail.com).

I picked up a couple antique dressers that were too weathered to refinish like I typically do.  I wanted their age to enhance the piece, not detract like it would with glossy paint.  I turned to milk paint for that reason.

The color is Federal Blue.  I was looking for more control over the distressing so I added the optional bonding agent to the powder.  (Milk paint comes in powder form that water is added to).  If you skip the bonding agent the paint will flake and distress much more rapidly in a way that's unpredictable.  Whether or not you ad it is up to the look you're going for.

I skipped the wax that most use as a finish coat with this paint and went with an oil based urethane instead.  (I'm working up a separate post for that).

You can find a local retailer for Old Fashioned Milk Paint here.

before and after :: navy blue vintage bed

I'm not always sure whether something falls into the "vintage" category or the "antique" category.  This one's a toss up.  Either way, it's cute. 

It's headed for a little boy's bedroom where it will look great regardless.

We opted for a matte finish which feels more masculine than gloss.  It also hides more imperfections and looks better for longer because scratches don't show up as readily as they can with glossy paints.  

Old wood has a tendency to dry out over time and absorbs paint more readily than newer furniture.  This bed was no exception which made me extra glad we chose matte.

It was covered in a multiple coats of paint and took a couple rounds of Citristrip to remove it all.

It made quite the mess.  Fortunately I had a cutie little side kick to stick it out with me.  

The color is Old Navy by Benjamin Moore.

White Buffet

I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for this transformation since I posted about it on Monday.  Well, here it is.  If this doesn't make you want to jump up and grab a paint brush and a gallon of white paint, I don't know what will.

Before.

The hardware received this treatment:

Just showing off my new camera.  Have I told you I love it?  Well, I do.

It's Friday!  Do you have exciting plans for the weekend?  Me?  I saved too much "stuff" for Saturday to be too excited for it, but we are taking pizza to the neighborhood park tonight.  That will be fun. 

Vintage Set

Because I played it safe with the color of this set, I wanted to do something a little different with the hardware.  

I love the monochromatic look.

Here it is before...

And after...

I forgot to get a shot of the drawers behind the cabinets.  I'll shoot one tomorrow and upload it with the others to my shop.

Here's the dresser or sideboard…whichever you prefer.

Before...

The color is Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace.  It's the perfect gray white because there's no yellow in the color formula.  It's just straight up white.

And the nightstand for which I am missing a piece of hardware :(  I've turned my garage upside down looking for it.  

I'm at a loss. I actually cried.  

Because what else do you do when you lose a piece of hardware from 1966?  You cry.

So, until I find it, or something similar, this won't be listed available.

Check my shop for dimensions and pricing.